<html><head><style type='text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><div style='font-family: garamond,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000'>Hi chugalug community,<div><br></div><div> I've been wondering this past week whether the maker movement might some day become the Maker Party. In all this heated presidential race, I haven't heard a single word from either candidate on how supporting the maker movement is our best hope for creating new jobs. </div><div><br></div><div> I've lived in the Washington DC-area for almost 30 years and am pretty cynical about politics in general, yet if a Maker Party would ever form, I would be 150 percent behind it. If the Maker Party solidly promoted open source software for use in government, schools, hospitals, etc -- I'd be 250 percent behind it. </div><div><br></div><div> To my mind, if your movement is not playing within the political arena, then it's playing on the sidelines. Sidelines" means you can be easily ignored and overlooked.</div><div><br></div><div> Anyway, just wanted to share these thoughts for what they're worth. Didn't want to start a long discussion thread, cause I love the Linux focus of this list. Feel free to contact me off-list if this topic is of interest and I can coordinate some off-list discussion. I might coordinate a Google Hangout discussion on this topic sometime, too. </div><div><br></div><div> phil shapiro</div><div><br>--<br><div><span name="x"></span>Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com<br>http://www.his.com/pshapiro/briefbio.html<br>http://www.twitter.com/philshapiro<br>http://www.his.com/pshapiro/stories.menu.html<br><br>"Wisdom begins with wonder." - Socrates<br>"Learning happens thru gentleness."<br><span name="x"></span><br></div></div></div></body></html>